Former India batsman turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar took a fresh dig at India off-spinner R Ashwin saying that the bowler doesn’t have a match-winning spell overseas and this is the right time for him to bowl one.
Including his wicket in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, the India offspinner Ashwin has 410 scalps from 79 games with as many as 30 five-wicket hauls. Manjrekar, while speaking on ESPNCricinfo.com, said that while Ashwin is a high-class bowler and a match-winner on turning pitches in India, but is yet to bowl a ‘long and impactful’ spell abroad.
“He is surely a high-class bowler but I will again tell everyone that he’s a brilliant match-winner on turning pitches in India. But overseas, this is his third tour to England – he’s been to Australia three times and twice to South Africa – and here he hasn’t shown a long impactful spell yet to win the game for India. The time has come for Ashwin to do just that," Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
Ashwin gave India the first breakthrough in the ongoing WTC 2021 Final, as he removed Tom Latham for 30 runs, getting him caught at short cover by Virat Kohli.
“Today’s wicket was absolutely brilliant because he had no help from the wicket and he got the dismissal in a new way. In India, he picks up wickets with the help of short-leg and silly-point. Today, he picked up the wicket like an old-timer, like how Prasanna and Bishan Singh Bedi used to do by luring the batsmen into driving to the covers, mid-off or mid-on. Pitch didn’t have anything for him but despite that, he picked the wicket using a good strategy, tactic, and skills," Manjrekar said.
Sanjay Manjrekar had earlier ruffled quite a few feathers saying that he doesn’t consider Ashwin as an all-time great bowler because he doesn’t have a single five-wicket haul in SENA countries.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
